Baruch Ashlag

Baruch Shalom Ashlag (1907–1991), a.k.a. Rabash, was a great Kabbalist who continued developing the Kabbalistic teachings of his father, Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, after his father's passing. The Bnei Baruch group, created by Rav Michael Laitman for the continuation of dissemination of the Teachers’ work, has been named after Rav Baruch Shalom Ashlag.

The goal of creation is—to please the creation, i.e. the Creator wants to fill us with the very best. And until a man receives all the very perfect and the very best that has been ordained for him by the Creator, he experiences the lack of everything, and this is the sign that he hasn’t yet reached the goal of the creation.

- Rav Baruch Ashlag, Dargot HaSulam, Vol.1, Article 329—“The Essence of the Creation and the Correction of the Creation.”

A man has been entrusted to receive the Goal of creation by correcting himself. This action is called: “Which has been created by the Creator to be done.” This correction is the obtaining of the “intention to bestow.” Only in the degree of obtaining such an intention does a man become capable to receive what has been ordained for him by the Creator.

- Rav Baruch Ashlag, Dargot HaSulam, Vol.1, Article 329—“The Essence of the Creation and the Correction of the Creation.”

The Creator is called—“Clearing the eyes of the man”—by the name of the action, which He performs by removing Malchut from the eyes of Partzuf. When the Creator removes the egoism from the eyes of a man, a man is awarded to discover the good.

When one begins to work in order to bestow, and this goes against ones nature, this is called "toil," since the body (refers to ones wills and desires) opposes it, being that any movement which the body does not see that it will be use for itself, it opposes with all of its strength, and tremendous powers are needed to overcome it.

A good, skillful worker is one who does not consider the reward, but enjoys his work. If, for example, a skillful tailor knows that the clothing fits its owner at every point, it gives him pleasure, more than the money he receives.

- Rav Baruch Ashlag, "The Influence of the Environment on a Person", in Kabbalah for the Student, Michael Laitman, ed., Laitman Kabbalah Publishers, 2008, p. 283.

One should receive pleasures that bring contentment to the Creator. This means that the creature will want to bestow upon the Creator, and will have fear of the Creator, of receiving for oneself, since reception of pleasure - when one receives for one's own benefit - removes him from cleaving to the Creator.

To be integrated in one another, each person should annul himself before the others. This is done by each seeing the friends' merits and not their faults. But one who thinks that he is a little higher than the friends can no longer unite with them.

[I]n matters of work on the path of truth, one should isolate oneself from other people. This is because the path of truth requires constant strengthening, since it is against the view of the world. The view of the world is knowing and receiving, whereas the view of Torah is faith and bestowal. If one strays from that, he immediately forgets all the work of the path of truth and falls into a world of self-love.